A recent Allstate Canada national poll showed that 95% of Canadian parents state that they are confident they know how to properly buckle a child in a car seat.

Sadly, that same poll showed that 23% of Canadians with children under 12 believe that using a snow suit is the best way to keep them warm in the winter months. Only about one-in-10 (11%) parents of children under 12 say the best way to dress a child is in thin, warm layers.

Safety should always be your primary concern

Dressing your child properly to ride in their car seat is very important. Car seat manufacturers state in car seat manuals that bulk clothing is not safe when buckling a child into the car seat.

Properly installing the car seat is step #1

The one statistic that wasn’t given to me was the percentage of parents who felt they are confident that they know how to properly install a car seat.

Safety 1st Grow and Go has a Level Line that must be level to the ground when rear facing. This is stated in the manual and on the stickers on the seat.

As many as 80% of children aren’t being correctly restrained in child seats or booster seats.[Source]

We only slightly touched on the “not used correctly” issues when talking about winter clothing. Some of the most common issues are:

Not installing the seat tight enough

Use the pinch test to see if the harness is tight enough.

Not using the tether strap when forward facing

Harness not tight enough (and winter clothing will give you a false sense of it being tight)

Chest clip too low

Harness straps in the incorrect position

Wrong seat for the child’s age, height and weight

Getting rid of the booster too soon

Letting your child sit in the front seat too soon

How do you make sure that your seat is installed properly?

The first thing that I tell all parents is to read the manuals!

Safety 1st Grow and Go’s manual and stickers are colour coordinated! Blue for rear facing and red for forward facing and booster!

You must read your vehicle manual to know where you can install the seat and if the vehicle manufacturer puts any restrictions on car seat installation. You also must read the car seat manual to know how to install the car seat into the vehicle and how to put your child safely in the car seat.

You must read the car seat manual to know how to install the car seat into the vehicle and how to put your child safely in the car seat.

The Safety 1st Grow and Go car seat has colour-coded their manual and the stickers making it easier to find information in the manual.

Safety 1st has really tried to help parents. This graphic on the first page is a quick snapshot of how to find the information they need:

Allstate Canada and Safety 1st made this video with some installation tips:

When to move to the next car seat?

“While different car seats and regulations may vary, experts agree that children should stay in their rear-facing car seats until they’re at least 18 kg (40 lbs.); in their forward-facing 5-point harness seat until they are at least 29 kg (65 lbs.); and should use booster seats until they are at least 9 years of age and able to sit up straight with their back flat against the vehicle’s seat, and knees easily bent over the seat.

In other words, you don’t need to rush in moving a child up to the next level. Parents should take their time and transition their child to the next car seat when it makes the most sense for their safety. In fact, the longer a child can stay in their rear-facing seat, the safer they’ll be because these seats help to protect the neck and spinal cord of developing children better than any other seat.”

Safety 1st Grow and Go car seat is a 3-in-1 car seat that can be used for all three stages.

Rear facing (with blanket for warmth)

Booster (from Amazon.ca)

Forward Facing

Allstate Canada’s video has great tips about when it is good to move your child to the next stage:

One of the great features of the Safety 1st Grow and Go seat is that it requires your child to be at least 2 years old before they can ride in it forward facing. This will help to ensure that children ride rear-facing until 2 years old. Rear-facing is the safest way for children to ride in a vehicle!

Have more questions?

It is aways best to talk to or meet with a Certified Car Seat Technician who can help you with any car seat questions that you might have. They will teach you about your car seat and how it fits in a vehicle.

It is nice to see that Allstate Canada has a certified car seat technician on their staff who can help their clients. This will be especially important if the client is ever in a collision as car seats must be replaced.

Enter to win a Safety 1st Grow and Go 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat!

Allstate Canada and Safety 1st want to help your child be safe. Enter to win a Safety 1st Grow and Go car seat.

I remember being a mom-to-be, walking up and down the aisles of the baby store and scanning all of the items that I thought would be required to keep my baby safe.

Unfortunately, just because a company has a product and labels it as a “safety” item, doesn’t mean it will help keep baby protected.

There are many items on the “Top Registry Items” lists that parents shouldn’t be registering for, and I’ll explain why. I’ve also given some suggestions of what you should do, and I end with a nice list of the items that are good to have!

What not to register or buy

Seat Savers

These are the protectors that you can put in your car under the child car seat. They are supposed to protect your car from the indents that can happen from the child car seat or from spills and crumbs. Since this device was not crash tested with the child car seat that you own, you do not know how it will react in a collision.

NOTE: Car seat manufacturers will state is if any third party accessory can be used with or under the seat. Some do not even allow for the use of pool noodles or towels.

Suggested item – Nothing. It is best not to use them and install the car seat as it is described in the car seat owner’s guide.

Roll up Car Shade

These are the cute window blinds, that roll up into a metal holder at the top. They are supposed to protect your child from the sun. Unfortunately, the suction cups that come with them don’t stick forever. This could lead to the shade coming off of the window and falling directly on your child. During a collision, if the window was to break, the metal holder then becomes a projectile flying through your car causing further damage to your child or yourself.

Suggested item – The shades that come as a plastic sheet that clings to the window. If this was to fall off of the window, it won’t cause further damage to the occupants of the vehicle.

Cuddle Bags

These are the bags that are designed to go inside the car seat and then zip up and over your child to protect them from the cold. These are not recommended because they come between your child and the car seat. The added fabric will be compressed during a collision and will cause the harness straps to be loose. This means that your child will not be held firmly in the seat and there is potential for injury to occur.

Suggested item – You want the cover that goes over the entire car seat. There is a window in the top so that you can see the baby’s face. This type does not interfere at all with the harness straps and your child can be secured properly.

Bunting Bags and Baby snowsuits should also not be used in a car seat for the same reason; you will not get the harness straps tight enough and the bulky fabric will compress.

Suggested item – put your child in a warm, but not bulky outfit, put them in their car seat properly and tighten the straps, then place a warm blanket over the top.

NOTE: Cuddle bags and snowsuits are great for use in a stroller; just not in a car seat.

Mirrors

The cute mirrors that allow a parent to use the rear view mirror to see their rear-facing child are not recommended.

Not only could they come loose and become a projectile object in a collision, their sole purpose is to distract the driver. The driver of the car should be watching the road and vehicles around them when driving. If they are taking the time to look at the baby in the back seat, they are distracted.

Suggested item – Nothing. If you need to tend to a crying baby in the back seat, pull off the road to a safe location and then do what is required for the child.

Bumper Pads (baby bedding)

Bumper Pads are not suggested because if a child gets caught in them, they could suffocate.

Suggestion item: Nothing.

The only thing that should be on the mattress is a good fitted sheet and nothing else should be in the crib.

“Baby on Board” signs

For the same reason that roll up shades are not recommended, hard plastic baby on board signs should not be used as the suction cups detach and then it is a potential projectile in the car.

Suggested item: If you truly feel that you need a sign, get a magnet for the back bumper of your car. It is outside and can’t hurt the passengers inside the vehicle.

3rd Party Protective Padding that goes around the harness straps

The basic rules is: “If it didn’t come with the car seat, don’t use it.” Reason being is that everything that comes with the car seat has been crash tested with that seat and is safe to use. Many car seat manufacturers have started including these pads with the car seats so it’s not as much of an issue. Do not add anything to the harness straps of your child’s car seat.

Suggested item: If the harness should be too close to the child’s neck and the seat didn’t come with the protective pads, try to pull the child’s shirt collar up a bit so that the harness doesn’t rub.

Forward-facing seats are for older children with stronger back and neck muscles. As long as your child fits within the weight and height ranges of his or her rear-facing seat, it is best to use that seat for as long as possible.

Higher weigh forward-facing seats are becoming more common. Some have a maximum weight of 65lbs!

A 5-pt harness spreads the force of a collision across the core of the child’s body and holds them firmly in their seat. Unlike a booster which just positions the child properly in the vehicle’s seat belt and expects that the child’s frame is strong enough to withstand the force of impact.

Every province (and country) has their own laws, which is the minimum requirement for turning a child forward facing and moving them into a booster. But it is recommended to keep them in a 5pt harness as long as possible.

Installation tips and tricks:

If your seat is convertible:

If the seat was used rear-facing then you’ll need to read the instructions for the seat so that you can re-route the LATCH belt through the seat in the proper position.

The LATCH or the vehicle’s seat belt needs to pass through the slot at the back of the seat (rather than under the legs when rear-facing)

Top tether:

A forward facing car seat in Ontario is required by law to use the top tether

The top tether holds the car seat tight to the vehicles seat, restricting forward motion

The tether belt will come from the back of the seat, near the top, and will run over the back of the vehicle’s seat

it clips to the tether bolt

this can be found either on the back package deck, on the back of the seat or on the floor behind the seat, depending on what vehicle you own

you must read the vehicle’s owners manual to confirm which seats have a tether bolt so you know where to put the forward facing car seat

if your vehicle doesn’t have a tether bolt, you’ll need to go to a dealership to have one installed before the car seat is installed

Getting the seat in tight enough:

I like to attach the top tether to the tether bolt before I begin

it keeps it out of the way

attach the LATCH clips to the LATCH anchors

make sure the LATCH belt is flat

twisting will cause weakness during a collision

kneel on the seat

you are heavier than the baby

this will get the vehicle’s seat compressed and allow the belt to be as tight as possible

tighten the belt

no movement is best

if you try to shake the base and the whole vehicle shakes, then you’re tight enough

Using the vehicle’s seat belt:

(more info coming…stay tuned)

Putting the child in the seat:

the harness must be at or above the child’s shoulders

this will hold the child back against the seat, minimizing the forward motion in a collision

You must be able to get no more than one finger width between the strap and your child’s collar bone

don’t kid yourself either – if you think that it’s tight with the snow suit on, take the snow suit off and put the child back in and you’ll see how loose those straps are when the snow suit compresses under the force of the collision

The chest clip must be at their arm pits

DO NOT use any 3rd party add-ons that did not come with the seat

no protectors on the harness

no snuggle bags

many manufactures are starting to have these come as part of the seat

this means that they were crash tested with the seat and are safe to use

Why get your car seat checked at a car seat clinic?

we know all the tips and tricks to get your car seat in correctly and tight enough

we’ve installed many different seats in many different cars

we know when to use a locking clip

because you can be fined $240 and 2 demit points (in Ontario) if your child is not in a properly installed and properly used car seat

but even more important, because you can keep your child as safe as possible should be be in a collision

Why “mapsgirl” ?

Wendy is a cartographer! She draws maps!

When not mapping, Wendy is also a mom to two daughters. They are the inspiration of this blog. Passionate about child passenger safety, Wendy has been a certified Car Seat Technician in Ontario, Canada since 2008. [Read More …]